“I don’t propose forcing anyone. There’s enough of that as it is.”
“Yeah, but they could still turn us in.”
“How? Until they join us, they won’t know who we are or how to reach us. Even then, we organize them into independent cells so that no one person has enough information to betray us or the others.”
“Yeah, that is a well-used strategy for revolutionary groups. You figure you can recruit enough people to help us?”
“Yes. I’m betting that most people will recognize the danger and will be angry enough to join us, either by coming here or by acting as intervenors. For those who come here, as far as their friends and associates are concerned, they will just vanish.”
“Once these intervenors have contacted new subversives, how do you propose to stop those people from blabbing to the Peaks? They might figure that would save them.”
“What could they tell? You’ll need to work out the details, but ideally, even the intervenors wouldn’t know anything about Wishbone. Not its name, where it is, or who is involved. Nobody would have anything to say that could harm us.”
“How would these people get here? We’re not exactly on the bus line.”
“The same way the Second World War resistance smuggled soldiers and spies, or the underground railroad helped slaves escape from the States into Canada. Through a network of contacts, particularly in the smaller towns where the Peaks have a minimal presence.”
“What about after these people arrive here? Even the World War II resistance had traitors.”
“Isolation. Look around. How does anyone get out of this place? You all drove here, but in the absence of cars, it’s a long trek. They won’t have access to electronic communications. Anyone wanting to report about this place would have to walk out. Sentries should take care of that.”
Jerry said, “I’m not convinced. There are just too many holes in what you’re proposing.”
“Holes? More like caverns. But remember I said this is just an outline. The four of you will have to figure out how to plug those holes. I can help, but this is your community, and you’ll have to figure out what’s best. If you can’t make it work, well, at least we tried.”
Jerry nodded. “Okay, I’ll go along with you for now, but what about my third question, numbers? We can’t accommodate thousands of people here. We’ll be hard-pressed to handle a few hundred. Hell, I’m not sure we can feed the people we already have.”
“This is where it gets nasty. You’re right. We can’t accommodate all the people who will be placed on the list, and we do need to be selective in who we choose. Some of the ones who don’t come here will remain in their communities as intervenors, but even with those, there will be too many for us to handle. That means we will have to pick who we rescue and who we don’t.”
“You mean who we leave to die.”
“That’s what I mean. We can’t handle everyone. I doubt we could even handle most of them. So a lot of people will be killed as subversives. There’s nothing we can do about that.”
“That’s going to be a tough decision. Who makes it?”
Candale said, “Ellen and I, based on Ivan’s information. We are the selection committee. I don’t think that’s a job either of you wants.”
Alan nodded. “A form of triage. That’s nightmare-inducing.”
Jerry said, “So how many people are we talking about bringing here? Any ideas?”
“No more than two or three thousand.”
“Two or three thousand? There’s no way we could handle that many. Two or three hundred is more like our limit.”
Candale said, “I think you underestimate the numbers this community could support. We could handle a lot of people here. Yes, there would be more mouths to feed, but there would also be more hands to grow crops and raise livestock. More people to make clothes and cut wood and hunt. A better opportunity for the specialization of labour. And if we do outgrow what we can manage, we can identify other sites and build communities there.”
“Using this place as a template.”
“Yes. We’ll learn a lot about being self-sufficient as a community, and we can transfer that expertise to others.” He turned to Alan. “As to your fourth point, an attack by the Peaks. I agree it’s a risk. I also agree with you that this community could never hold off an onslaught. So, yes, we would be in danger. We have just one real defence. Anonymity. If the Peaks don’t know we’re here or what we’re doing, they won’t be a threat.”
“That’s not comforting. If they do find out about us, it wouldn’t take much effort for them to wipe us out.”
Baxter said, “More than you might think. From information my contact gave me, I’ve been able to get a look at their equipment and training. They’re set up for urban conflict. Cities. They have rovers and automatic weapons and surveillance helicopters to support their mission, which is to deal with riots and demonstrations, but they’re not equipped to launch attacks on distance targets. They don’t have the mobility or weaponry of an army. I’m not saying they couldn’t attack us, but it wouldn’t be as easy as dispatching a few troops.”
Candale said, “And if we keep a low profile, they won’t have the incentive to attack. Besides, I’m guessing the resistance will be keeping them too busy in the cities to bother about some remote town they can’t easily get to. We just wouldn’t be a priority. Yes, it’s a risk, but one I’m willing to take. If we could reduce that risk, would that satisfy you, Alan?”
“My biggest concern has been that if we stand up to the Peaks, this wouldn’t be David and Goliath. It’d be more like Tinkerbell and Godzilla. But I have to admit that even the most adamant people in my group aren’t comfortable doing nothing. If we can be careful, avoid direct confrontations, remain anonymous, I think I can convince most of them.”
Jerry frowned. “You said we wouldn’t be a priority. That means we haven’t done anything useful. Is that what you propose? Just being a sanctuary for a bunch of subversives?”
Baxter said, “Not at all. That’s one way to support the resistance. Another is to identify weaknesses and targets within the NPF and alert resistance cells so they can launch an attack.”
“Weaknesses? What do you mean?”
“When are the NPF commanders going out to the field where they’ll be vulnerable? When and where are they redeploying troops? When are they receiving shipments of equipment? When are they organizing a new cohort of recruits for training? Remember, the NPF is an organization with its own internal processes. Those are areas the resistance can exploit.”
Alan said, “How do we identify all of this?”
“That’s my job. My contact will funnel me information, and I can relay it to you for distribution to the resistance group best positioned to attack.”
“So we would be like coordinators, directing resistance fighters.”
“Exactly.”
“Except how do we communicate with them?”
“We can use satellite communications. Email or texting. We’d need to use a secure application, but those exist. We could—”
Alan said, “Hold on. Cell phones need electricity. We may have some, but there’s no way to tell how long that will last. If the hydro generator dies and Ron can’t fix it, our cell phones will be useless.”
“Not if you have backup like a hand crank or a solar panel. The hand crank is more reliable, but the solar panel can keep the battery charged when the sun is out.”
“You figure this will work?”
Baxter pulled out his cell phone and a box with a handle pivoted in the middle. “Have a look. My phone has 43 percent of its charge. Now watch.” He plugged the phone cable into the box and turned the crank for a minute. The phone read 44 percent. “It takes some time, but with this device, I don’t need a power outlet.”